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Politics : The Donkey's Inn -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Patricia Trinchero who wrote (5907)	1/27/2003 6:02:12 PM
From: Raymond Duray	Respond to of 15516

Hi Pat, Re: Florida's Rigged Elections -- I'd say you are right. Here's a frightening article about how the Bushes are going to attempt to erase history in Florida: mediawhoresonline.com JEB, FLORIDA BALLOT SCANDAL Destroying the 2000 Evidence? Or Just Making It Impossible To See It? After the presidential coup of 2000, what happened to the six million ballots so fiercely fought over yet never fully counted? They were placed under the supervision of the Florida Division of Library and Information Services. At the time that decision was made, historians and other interested parties expressed their firm hope and expectation that all of the ballots would be preserved for posterity, so that later scholars and writers could come to their own independent conclusions about what happened in Florida in 2000. University of Florida historian Julian Pleasants, a member of the board appointed to determine the ballots' fate, was particularly outspoken in his belief that all of the ballots should be preserved. Well guess what? In his new proposed 2004 budget, Governor Jeb Bush has cut funding to the Florida Division of Library and Information Services to....ZERO! That's right. It's gone, if Jeb gets his way. And the ballots? In June, the now soon-to-be-extinct FDLIS (if Jeb has anything to do with it) advised the state's 67 county elections supervisors that the period for retaining 2000 election materials had been "voluntary extended" until 2003. The extension will give state legislators adequate time to strike ''a balance between the potential historical significance of these ballots and the cost of their preservation,'' Division Director Barratt Wilkins wrote. But now it looks as if, thanks to Jeb, there won't be any FDLIS to do any preserving. In short, it look as if Jeb is about ensure that the ballots get destroyed -- and to hell with historical significance. The elimination of the FDLIS is an enormous blow to all Floridians -- and well as to everyone interested in preserving the state's historical treasures. Elimination of the FDLIS will mean the dismantling of the 150-year-old Florida State Library and the Florida State Archives, as well as the end of various grants programs for public libraries across the state -- all of which are under the supervision of the FDLIS. But given the likely dispensation of the 2000 ballots, it's all the worse -- for what's being threatened is the record of a colossal event in the nation's history as well as Florida's history. All of the Library and Archives holdings are scheduled, under Bush's plan, to be moved to the already overcrowded facilities at Florida State University at Tallahassee. At the very least, a great deal of material will be rendered inaccessible. And some valuable things are almost certainly going to have to be either sold off or destroyed. Any guess where the priority will be about those ballots? People who try to hide -- and, in this case, it seems, destroy -- historical documents are always the people with the most to hide. And does anybody doubt why Jeb wants to hide -- or, better, destroy -- those ballots? Budgetary concerns? Yeah, right! Professor Pleasants has once again come to the defense of preserving the truth, telling the Miami Herald that he still hopes the state will preserve as much of the 2000 election materials as possible. This is in contrast to the preference notorious designer of the Palm Beach County butterfly ballot, Theresa LePore. When asked what she'd rather see done with the punch card ballots, she replied to a reporter: "A big bonfire." Which looks like Jeb Bush's preference too. Email Professor Julian Pleasants to express your support and to encourage him to speak out against Gov. Bush's proposed elimination of the Florida Division of Library and Information Services and against the possible destruction of 2000 election materials. Sources: Bruce Craig, For History's Sake, Preserve Florida's Presidential Ballots, History News Service, December 21, 2000 Tallahassee Democrat, Florida Delays Decision On Keeping Ballots, December 30, 2002 Naples Daily News, Florida Delays Decision On Preserving 2000 Presidential Ballots, December 30, 2002 Bush Proposes Killing Florida Division of Library and Information Services, Dismantling State Library and State Archives Tallahassee Democrat, Is State Library About To Die?, January 24, 2003 Orlando Sentinel, Library Could Be Victim of Bush Cuts, January 25, 2003